Poison Ivy

Every year, more than 10 million unlucky Americans suffer the itching, swelling and blistering that poison ivy leaves in its wake. This seemingly harmless plant's oil can travel through the air, be transferred through clothing and can even attack days after you've been outside. It's a tricky little plant that causes pain to nearly everyone in its path. You don't have to be a victim. Follow these simple steps to prevent and treat poison ivy before its oil does its damage: Recognize poison ivy. The easiest way to steer clear of poison ivy is to know what to avoid.

I'd had it with the tree monster taking over my driveway. It loomed larger every day and threatened to eat me and my car every time we pulled in. As my personal rainforest grew thicker and more menacing, so did my resolve to hack it back … some day. Some day when I wasn't dressed for work, or late for spin class or a social plan, when I wasn't too tired and it wasn't too dark, I would cut the tree monster back. That day came last week. But the tree got the last word. After a night of heavy rain, I bolted out of bed when I heard the trash truck approaching.

The more time we spend outdoors, the more likely we are to come in contact with poison ivy. Children, hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, campers and gardeners are all susceptible to picking up that nasty, blistering rash. The culprit is a chemical called urushiol, carried in an oil found in all parts of the plant. It is not poisonous in and of itself but causes an unpleasant-to-agonizing allergic reaction in most people. To minimize your chances of getting the rash -- or to minimize the agony -- consider these useful facts.

Every year, more than 10 million unlucky Americans suffer the itching, swelling and blistering that poison ivy leaves in its wake. This seemingly harmless plant's oil can travel through the air, be transferred through clothing and can even attack days after you've been outside. It's a tricky little plant that causes pain to nearly everyone in its path. You don't have to be a victim. Follow these simple steps to prevent and treat poison ivy before its oil does its damage: Recognize poison ivy. The easiest way to steer clear of poison ivy is to know what to avoid.

Scientists working for the U.S. Forest Service say they have developed an aerosol spray that could protect millions of Americans from the rashes, bumps and blisters of poison ivy.After a five-year effort to solve the problem, which is severe among Forest Service workers, the scientists say they discovered that a compound commonly found in antiperspirants will stop urushiol, the toxic oil in poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac, from reaching the skin.The...

A brush with poison ivy will give three out of four people a reaction, according to the Guide to the Poisonous and Irritant Plants of Florida published by the Florida Cooperative Extension Service.Just touching a leaf of the toxic plant can produce itchy, watery pustules. People also can react to the vaporizing oils, smoke from burning branches or by petting a contaminated animal.Few urbanites are recognizing the plant when it is encountered during a country hike or brought into the garden with native plants.

A:''Sometimes there are nice correlations between an organism's defenses and its enemies, but in the case of poison ivy, any such connection is a puzzle,'' said Stephen K. Tim, vice president for science and publications at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.''Poison ivy is toxic to humans and a few higher primates and that's it,'' Tim said.Fossil ancestors of poison ivy predate human settlement of North America by millions of years, Tim pointed out. ''It is almost as if nature anticipated that it would be a good thing to keep humans off beaches,'' he said.

WASHINGTON -- Killing poison ivy, a lovely but dangerous vine, can be a mythological task that would have been listed among the labors of Hercules had that hero lived in the New World. Although botany calls it Rhus toxicodendron, it is best known by the cautionary jingle, "Leaves of three / Let it be." But a homeowner cannot let this noxious weed be because it will take root in the garden and spread like the mythic Hydra, growing several heads where one was cut off. Its whitish berries will soon appear, to be picked eagerly by birds that will then drop the seeds.

You can try to avoid poison oak or poison ivy simply by steering clear of it. Generally, the plants have clusters of three shiny leaves.If you get it:- GET COZY WITH CALAMINE. The time-honored mainstay in poison treatment is calamine lotion, a popular skin protectant with a soothing action.- POP A PILL. Oral antihistamines may help. Two popular over-the-counter brands: Chlor-Trimeton, which contains the active ingredient chlorpheniramine maleate, and Benadryl, which contains the active ingredient diphenhydramine hydrochloride.

Part of reaching adulthood is the happy realization that life can never again be as awful as summer camp once was: No more wet sleeping bags. No more Nazi swimming instructors. No more being tortured by fat 12-year-olds. And most importantly, no more being trapped on a camp bus with kids who wanted to sing every single verse of ''Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.''Of course there is one constant, from your early adventures in the wild, that will remain with you throughout your life: poison ivy.Poison ivy can track you down and find you, even in adulthood: It has elements of divine retribution about it.Poison ivy is God's way of telling you you probably own too much property - or at least proof that you have access to more raw nature than is probably good for you, proof that you have more leisure time than is good for society as a whole.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- One of the most violent crashes of the year at Talladega in April saw Carl Edwards' car be tossed off the track into the catchfence then fall onto the track on fire. Edwards got out of the car and jogged to the finish line, completely unharmed. It wasn't until months later during an impromptu Frisbee game that Edwards actually hurt himself. Nationwide Series driver Michel Jourdain Jr. once fell off a horse during a photo opportunity and injured his left leg. Jimmie Johnson fell off a golf cart.

Question: Is it OK to mix two shades of hair color to get exactly what I want? I'm looking for a warm brown, but judging by the color pictures on the packaging, the browns are either too red or too ashy. Answer: You can mix colors from the same line, although it may take a little experimenting to get the exact shade you want. However, you're courting disaster if you try mixing colors from different product lines. Sunless-tanning products Q: On the advice of my dermatologist, I have given up sunbathing.

Poison ivy -- two words that strike fear into gardeners' hearts. We all know it's lurking out there, but many of us don't think we can catch it, so we don't learn how to avoid it. "Most people think that they are not allergic to poison ivy because they have never developed a rash from the plant. This is usually a misconception based on a lack of significant exposure," says Susan Pell, a molecular plant systematist and laboratory manager at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York. "All people should take caution with this plant and its other toxic relatives."

MESA, Ariz. -- Bricks and ivy have made up most of the outfield wall at Wrigley Field for 70 years, but the Chicago Cubs will alter the ballpark's backdrop for at least the next two years with advertisements on the old green doors. The Cubs announced a multiyear deal this week with Under Armour, a sports apparel company, agreeing to place its logo and name on the outfield doors. Terms of the agreement were not announced, but the ads will be in place at least through 2008. By mid-May, the Under Armour ads will be surrounded by the ivy that Bill Veeck helped plant 70 years ago to beautify a ballpark that has turned into a baseball mecca.

The more time we spend outdoors, the more likely we are to come in contact with poison ivy. Children, hikers, bikers, birdwatchers, campers and gardeners are all susceptible to picking up that nasty, blistering rash. The culprit is a chemical called urushiol, carried in an oil found in all parts of the plant. It is not poisonous in and of itself but causes an unpleasant-to-agonizing allergic reaction in most people. To minimize your chances of getting the rash -- or to minimize the agony -- consider these useful facts.

Question: Whiteflies have invaded my eggplant bush. What can I do to combat them? Answer: A little soap might clean up this problem, but it's best to obtain the insecticidal type sold at garden centers. These are tested products and won't burn or otherwise damage your plants when applied according to the label. Sprays give little control of the adults that fly away when the plants are disturbed, but they do control the next generation forming on the undersides of the leaves. It is important to thoroughly spray underneath the foliage.

Would you believe that the pistachio nut is a relative of poison ivy?Also included in poison ivy's family tree (Anacardiaceae) are cashews, mangoes and sumac.The flowers of poison ivy, which grow in clusters in the leaf axils, appear from May until late June. The waxy, white berries are present from August through November.The plant really is a master of disguises, which makes it difficult to identify. The three leaflets can be smooth on the edges, toothed or even lobed. The leaflets may range in size from two to seven inches long and up to three inches wide.

E.T.'s smallest friend - that adorable little Drew Barrymore - turns up as a baby-faced vixen in Poison Ivy, a flashy B-movie with deep recesses of sleazy charm. Cast as the toxic vine of the title, Barrymore is like Lolita crossed with the Bad Seed - a malevolent nymphet who ingratiates herself into her best friend's family and promptly proceeds to destroy it.Coop (Sara Gilbert), Ivy's unfortunate amiga, is a troubled teen from a well-off family who rebels by calling in a bomb threat to her father's TV station.

The Seaside Music Theater in Daytona Beach, which has been entertaining Central Florida audiences since 1977, is in the midst of its summer musical season. The current production is Smokey Joe's Cafe, a revue of the music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the team that wrote everything from Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" to "On Broadway," "Poison Ivy" and "Stand by Me." The musical, directed and choreographed by Donna Drake, showcases more than 30 songs presented by a cast of eight.

WASHINGTON -- Killing poison ivy, a lovely but dangerous vine, can be a mythological task that would have been listed among the labors of Hercules had that hero lived in the New World. Although botany calls it Rhus toxicodendron, it is best known by the cautionary jingle, "Leaves of three / Let it be." But a homeowner cannot let this noxious weed be because it will take root in the garden and spread like the mythic Hydra, growing several heads where one was cut off. Its whitish berries will soon appear, to be picked eagerly by birds that will then drop the seeds.